Five CSI students recently traveled to South Korea, to represent the College at the Glocal Solvathon @ Chuncheon, an international innovation competition held July 19–26. Made possible through a collaboration between the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff School of Business and the Center for Global Engagement, the experience challenged students to work alongside peers from around the world to develop creative solutions to real-world issues.

The Glocal Solvathon, hosted by Hallym University, a well-established institution in South Korea, was a week-long program that brought together students from multiple countries (including the U.S., South Korea, Thailand, and Japan). Participants worked in international teams to developing business ideas, presenting their solutions at the end of the program. In addition to the competition, the students had the opportunity to tour Chuncheon’s business district and meet local entrepreneurs, learn about South Korea’s start-up and business venture environment, and understand the city’s culture. Hallym University generously covered the students’ accommodations, meals, local transportation, and program activities.

The CSI delegation was led by Dr. Jong Gyu Park, Associate Professor of Management in the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff School of Business.

“One of the most valuable lessons was seeing how diversity drives innovation,” Dr. Park said. “Our students experienced first-hand that the best ideas often emerge when people with different cultural backgrounds, academic disciplines, and perspectives learn to listen to one another and solve problems together. They discovered that diversity is not simply something to celebrate, it is a competitive advantage that leads to stronger collaboration and more creative solutions.”

The students thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Hyunjin Lee, a CSI graduate student in Education, commented, “The trip was an amazing opportunity to learn about how a local problem can be tackled by a team [using] multiple cultural perspectives. It was also eye opening to see how competent Korean students are with using AI as a tool.”

Leah Browne ’26, an Information Systems and Informatics graduate, said, “What I loved most was collaborating with students from South Korea and Thailand on our project, GenLocal. Everyone brought their absolute best energy every day, and it inspired me to seek out more global perspectives and put everything I learned into action.”

At the end of the program, Dr. Park expressed how impressed he was with the CSI students.

“They stepped into leadership roles throughout the program, with many serving as their team’s CEO, coordinating international collaboration, and delivering the final presentations. They demonstrated confidence, professionalism, and a genuine commitment to supporting their teammates while learning from them.”

Participating CSI students:

Julian Lopez Bernal

Leah Browne

Hyunjin Lee

Aislinn Pavia

Walter Sheu

By Winnie Brophy